The Coming of the SeaGods
by SoKaWriterChick
Summary: While the Edain dwelled in Numenor, Men still remained in the darkness of Sauron. This is the story of Kalani, a chieftain's daughter, and what happened when the Numenoreans first returned to Middle-earth.
1. Chapter 1

_Origins:_ So I was reading the Sil and got up to this part of it and before I spaced out entirely, I became curious- what could it have been like when the Numenoreans returned to Middle-earth? So this story is my exploration of that.  
_Notes:_ This takes place before the complete domination of Sauron, when the Numenoreans FIRST came back to Middle-earth and were not evil or anything... basically when they were thought to be 'Sea-gods'. Names are mainly derived from Hebrew (with some semblance of a meaning), or just made up.

_Disclaimer:_ To follow along in the tradition of my other fanfic, I am just using Tolkien's world, but other than that, the story and the characters (all of them as of now) are my creation.

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Chapter 1 **

_The Men that remained in Middle-earth after the creation of Numenor were weak and wild in the eyes of the Eldar and Edain. Left to dwell in a land still inhabited by those that stirred at the ill will of Morgoth, they feared the darkness. Their lives were simple, governed by this fear for many a year. _

_And then there came a time when the dread of darkness was lifted and strange and glorious sailed from the West._

Kalani walked along the shore by the mouth of the Great River. Glancing around, she noticed no one and so stepped into the water itself. Here, by the shore, it was shallow so that she could walk without danger. Kalani loved the feel of the cool water on her bare feet, the rippling of the water as she walked, the soothing sounds it made. And best of all, by the water, she had no fear. The evil that lurked still was repelled by the magic of water as her people had learned. Thus they dwelled by the shores of the Great Sea.

Kalani's father was called Abir, the chieftain of the Adlai. The tribe of the Adlai was one of the greater ones, being in possession of the rich delta of the Great River. The whole tribe had a fierce pride over the region they called home, and had defended it in not a few battles with other tribes. It had been almost ten years though since the last fight and Kalani remembered little of it. She had been just four years old and only faint glimpses of red swords and pillars of smoke came to mind when she thought of it.

Bending Kalani picked up a handful of pebbles from the water. She kept a collection of them under her bed at home-but only the prettiest, the smoothest, and the most unique. As she examined each one and found it not worthy to be her treasure, Kalani let it fall back into the river with a splash.

When the shouts of 'Big _dugithot _from the West!' came to her ears, Kalani was admiring a blue pebble she had just discovered. It had been made smooth by years of tossing in the ocean, yet was still as thick as Kalani's thumbnail. A band of young men hastening from the nearest gathering of huts came her way, and she slipped the pebble into the bag she always wore slung across her body.

"_Maka _Kalani, what are you doing here by yourself?" asked Lemë, coming to her side.

Kalani ignored the question of the son of Abir's closest advisor. "Grand _dugithot_, they are calling? But they are not ours, and we know of none that can make ones that are sea-worthy!" Panic began to clamor in her chest. The dark ones of the North maybe…

As if reading her thoughts, Lemë shook his head. "These are like nothing we have seen before. They are tall as the heavens," he exaggerated, " and as white and silver as the shining moonlight."

"There can be nothing like that," Kalani said practically. "It must be some foe and we should flee instead of standing here like fools."

"Even if it is a foe, one that can build such miracles as these could easily conquer us, even if all the Adlai were mustered and armed in one place."

A growing group formed on the edge of the river, mainly young men and boys. Despite her fears, Kalani found that she could not bear to move from the river. Whether for good or ill, to meet the sailors of these boats was the fate of her people and as _maka _of the Great River's Mouth, she argued to herself that it was her duty to be there as well.

The far-sighted among the crowd descried afar off a great gathering of the ships passing the Green Isle that laid around 15 leagues from the mouth of the river.

"I thought you said you saw the ships yourself!" Kalani upbraided Lemë, annoyed.

He shrugged sheepishly. "We heard word by messenger that came all the way from the Magdas." The Magdas were many leagues off, farther than Kalani would ever go, or even dream of going in her lifetime. They dwelled on the edge of the Great Sea as well, but surrounded on three sides by water. Luckily it was only rumors of their cruelty in war and domination of their neighboring tribes that reached the Adlai.

"…And they heard tale of it before from the West!" Kalani noticed Lemë continuing. The boy could talk her ear off about nothing if she let him, Kalani thought to herself. She was about to yell at him for being part of such a stir about nothing, when a cry went out among the crowd.

"They have stopped! It appears they are making camp on the Green Isle!" Though the voice was excited, the others groaned. The _dugithot _would not be arriving today. Slowly the disappointed boys went back to their work building or farming or fishing. Soon Lemë and Kalani were left alone.

"You go too, Lemë. I'm sure you have work that you ought to be doing for your father." Kalani turned her back on the young man and waded farther out into the water so that it was nearly up to her knees. The lowest edge of her skirt dipped into the river as she bent down to scoop up another handful of pebbles.

"But _Maka _Kalani, I can't just leave you out here… especially with those… those… demon boats out there!" he said, throwing his hands up in the air and pointing south.

"They are leagues away, Lemë," she replied calmly. "Besides, you do not really care about me," she added in a familiar taunt. "You only want to appear important and bring the disobeying _maka _to her father so that she can be properly punished."

"Ay!" Lemë cried, frustrated, but with a huge grin on his face. He ran towards Kalani and she squealed. Abandoning the pebbles, she took off upstream but Lemë grabbed her around the waist, and lifted her up, her legs kicking at the empty air.

"Let me go, let me go!" Kalani cried, laughing and gasping for breath.

"Let you go? Fine," the young man said and dropped her into the water.

Sputtering Kalani grabbed his legs and pulled him down with her. They sat for a few moments, trying to catch their breaths while the water lapped at their chests, disturbed by their commotion.

"Now look at me," Kalani said standing up. Her skirt stuck to her tan legs and her thin top was clinging inappropriately to her small fourteen-year-old chest. Lemë was grinning though like a man who had just brought in a _damat_, (a large fish with shining scales that was the pride of any man who managed to trap one). Kalani pouted though and pulled at her long black hair, half hot and dry from the sun and half drenched with river water.

"I have to go back now," she said and strode off, waiting for Lemë to come after her and swoop her off her feet…which he did shortly.

"So what will be the story this time?" Kalani asked, one arm casually around the sixteen-year-old's shoulders, the other twirling her hair.

"You were so shocked by the news of the _dugithot _that you fainted and fell into the water. Then I had to jump in and save you so that you would not be carried out to sea," Lemë answered matter-of-factly.

"That's one we haven't used in a few months. I think they will buy it," Kalani replied. "But now put me down… I can walk and I need to fix my skirt!"

"But of course not, _Maka_! I would never let a woman who just fainted walk on her own two feet. Why, she might faint again!"

Kalani growled under her breath, but Lemë just laughed and tossed his head violently, sending a wet spray from his hair all over Kalani.

So it was with shrieks and laughter that the daughter of the chieftain and the son of his closest advisor entered the Adlai's primary village of Serni, as the growing rumor of the _dugithot _grew.

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dugithot_- boats...  
_maka_- lady (as in the 'My Lady' sorta way)  
_damat_- fish that is the pride of a fisherman to catch  
_Great River_- The Anduin 


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer_: To follow along in the tradition of my other fanfic, I am just using Tolkien's world, but other than that, the story and the characters (all of them as of now) are my creation.

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**Chapter 2**

Barely anyone took notice of the two young people as they made their way to the center of Serni. There lay the house of the chieftan and just steps away was the house of his advisor, Jarlat-Lemë's father. Lemë was preparing for his dramatic entrance when Abir strode out of his home, Jarlat right behind him. They were talking so rapidly in undertones that all Kalani could make out was '_dugithot'_.

Abir just nodded at his daughter, making no mention of her disheveled appearance. As the two older men passed by, Kalani and Lemë couldn't help but turn and stare for a moment. It must really be serious, if both men were so enthralled in the situation at hand.

"Lemë, I have to go inside and change. You go home and put on something dry too," Kalani commanded, taking charge of the situation. "Then come and meet me out here. I want to find out what are fathers are keeping secret about."

Lemë nodded, placing Kalani carefully on the ground without another word. "I'll be back in five," he called over his shoulder as he crossed the path to his home as Kalani entered her own.

Unlike many of the other dwellings, _Dira _was not just a single-room. Chieftain Abir specifically had another pair of rooms added on to the already large house for his growing children. The entrance led into an open room that was the main meeting area. Straight ahead was the room where they ate, with a half-open area attached to the back for cooking. To the left lay Abir's private room, which had been shared with his wife while she remained in Serni. To the right of the central room were the new additions: a room for Abir's two sons and Kalani's own private room.

Kalani noticed that the house was deserted as she made her way to her room. She had expected her brothers to be out, but for _Dira _to be completely empty was a rare occurrence. With her mother gone, Abir had made sure that there were always at least three women to cook, wash mend clothes and anything else that needed to be done in the household. He refused to let his daughter care for the house, leaving her only in charge of her own room. (This was one of the few issues on which Abir and Jarlat remained opposed. Probably due to the fact that Jarlat was not blind to his son's affections and wanted a daughter-in-law who could care for a home.) Even these women had been given leave to discover what they could it seemed.

Kalani peeled off her wet garments, laying them on a stool in the corner. After drying herself, Kalani put on a long woven skirt and a thicker shirt. She felt it in the air that it was going to be cold when darkness fell, despite the heat of the day. She placed the blue pebble beneath her raised cot, adding it to her collection that now included two-dozen or so assorted stones. Kalani couldn't help but admire them for a minute. As foolish as it sounded, this humble trove was her pride.

Realizing that she was taking a lot of time, Kalani hastened out of her room and almost ran headlong into her younger brother. "Kalani, where are you going?" the deeply tanned, shaggy haired young man asked.

"I'm supposed to meet Lemë… Just let me through, Kúlu!" Kalani cried as her brother tried to block her path.

Kúlu audibly growled. He was sixteen, the same age as Lemë, and found it odd, even slightly revolting that his childhood friend flirted with his little sister. "Do you really need to run around with him all the time, Kalani? Especially now? You should really just stay inside… there is nothing happening that I can't tell you if you want."

"Kúlu, she'll be fine. Just, be back before it gets dark or Father will be angry," Rion said, coming up from behind his brother. Rion was the oldest at nineteen years old and the most mature.

"Its not like he will even notice," Kalani couldn't help retorting, despite her thankfulness to Rion for coming to her rescue. "He's too preoccupied with the _dugithot _business."

"Of course he would notice! You are his only daughter, the _maka _of Serni!" Rion was then too busy hitting Kúlu over the head for muttering something under his breath to the tune that she shouldn't be allowed to run around with someone like her brother, to notice Kalani slipping out without another word or a promise to be back before dark.

Lemë was shifting from foot to foot outside _Dira_, with the look that he wanted to be anywhere in the world but there.

"Did Kúlu say something to you?" Kalani asked, noticing his discomfort.

"No, of course not… But then he never says anything to me anymore, only storms by as if I didn't exist," Lemë responded in a despondent tone. Cheering up though with Kalani at his side, he starting walking quickly, forcing her to skip to keep up.

"Our fathers have called a meeting at the river to talk about the _dugithot_. They have probably started already so we need to hurry up," he called back at Kalani who was a few paces behind him. They spotted the large crowd ahead, Abir and Jarlat's heads floating slightly above the rest of them. Their voices drifted towards them, growing louder as they approached.

Lemë grabbed Kalani's hand and dragged her through the mass of villagers so that they were soon listening intently as part of the innermost ring.

"…many of you are worried and scared about these _dugithot _that have sailed from the West," Abir spoke in a large voice. "You need not to fear! As chieftain of the Adlai, I guarantee the safety of your homes, your families and your land. Until we know for sure the nature of our visitors, I urge you to keep your women and children at home. Do not go out on the sea for any reason! We will set a watch on the shore so that we have ample notice when the _dugithot _approach. Please return now to your homes." Abir dismissed his people, who slowly wandered back to their houses whispering among themselves. Their worries had been partially soothed by the confidence of their chieftain.

The sky was quickly darkening even though it was not yet late. "You should go back to _Dira_, Kalani," Lemë urged.

Kalani shot him an unnerving look. "I am not your woman or your child. I shall return when I please." With that she slipped off, soon hidden among the others.

She wandered downstream along the bank of the Great River. She waved her arm through the eerily still air, noticing the lack of any breeze. The water to her left was a dark unbroken sheet. _Almost as if you could walk on it,_ Kalani thought to herself.

Following in this thought, she poked one foot into the water causing ripples all around, though they quickly ceased. All of a sudden, a feeling of unease came over her and Kalani jerked her foot out of the river, stumbling backwards. She fell hard on her rear, but was too scared to cry out. The darkness around her was almost complete expect for a dim glittering of stars and their reflections on the water.

Kalani tried to convince herself it was nothing, but it seemed that all the fear that had left the villagers had found its way into her. Kalani picked herself up and half ran-half stumbled her way back upriver. By the time she had reached the well-traveled paths of Serni, she was running at full speed.

Out of breath she slipped into _Dira_, and slid down the wall so that she was sitting on the floor, her legs sprawled in front of her. Kalani breathed deeply, trying to concentrate on the voices of her brothers entering the room. But the sense of foreboding would not go away.

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_Dira_- the name of Kalani's home  
Note-I've decided that _maka_, as opposed to being just a general term for lady, applies to the oldest woman of the Chieftain's household- (since his wife is not there, Kalani would then be the _maka_) 


End file.
